Immunosuppressive macrophages induced by arthropathic peptidoglycan-polysaccharide polymers from bacterial cell walls.

Rats injected with peptidoglycan-polysaccharide polymers derived from group A streptococcal cell walls (PG-APS) develop a chronic, remittant, erosive synovitis. Spleen cells from injected rats failed to proliferate when stimulated in vitro by Con A or PHA, unless nylon wool adherent cells were first removed. The suppression could also be reversed by removing phagocytic cells which had ingested carbonyl iron. Cells from control rats were suppressed in vitro by co-culture with unfractionated or nylon wool-adherent cells from PG-APS injected rats, and the suppressor activity was still expressed after exposure of the suppressor cells to 3,000 rad of irradiation. Addition of catalase and indomethacin to cultures only partially reversed the suppression. T lymphocytes from rats given a single arthropathic dose of PG-APS remained suppressed for at least 86 days after injection. Cells from rats given a low, non-arthropathic dose of PG-APS did not become suppressed. Cells from the Buffalo rat, which is resistant to development of PG-APS-induced chronic arthritis, showed less suppression than cells from the susceptible Lewis and Sprague-Dawley rat strains.